Murder My Neighbour (9 page)

Heads were shaken in unison. ‘Nowhere near. Other side of the borough. Helping out with after-school clubs and that. He only came round Christmas and birthdays but, to give him his due, he didn't come begging like his sister.'

Pet wagged a finger. ‘Mrs Pryce said she wished Edwina lived farther away too, because she used to come round three or four times a week, fetching stuff from the shops that Mrs Pryce couldn't eat, checking what was in the fridge and putting stuff in the deep freeze for her that she never touched. And always on at her, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, never a moment's peace with her around. “Why don't you come and live with me, Mummy? There's a nice room in my flat you could have all to yourself.” Called Mrs Pryce “Mummy” while trying to smile though you could see it hurt her face.'

Vera sighed. ‘Tell the truth, I miss the old dear, but her knees were playing her up something chronic. We told her, put in a stairlift, but she wouldn't have it—'

Pet put on her fluting voice again. ‘“The day I can't climb the stairs is the day I move out. And not to Mrs Grabby-bags, either.”'

Ellie caught on to this. ‘That's what she called her stepdaughter?'

Both faces assumed the expression of someone who'd swallowed vinegar. ‘Right old—'

‘Now, now,' said Vera. ‘Wash your mouth out with soap.'

‘That one used to find fault with everything we done, said she coulda done it better herself and what was Mummy paying us for, she'd like to know?'

‘And up hers, too! Pfah!' Vera gave a two-fingered salute.

Ellie said, ‘You said Edwina popped in regularly. Do you know where she lives? Did she never marry? Was her name Pryce, too?'

‘Edwina never got herself married,' said Pet, with the air of one delivering a pleasant item of gossip. ‘Too sharp a tongue and too high an opinion of herself. Also, no boobs to speak of. Got a flat in that block after the shops, just before the Common.'

‘And her daughter? The one the Pryces didn't pay private school fees for?'

‘Typical teenager, no bra, big boots. Always sniffling, never has a tissue. Edwina used to drag the girl round with her sometimes. “Now you behave yourself and be nice to Granny.” Fat chance. Evangeline, that's her name. Evangeline-no-knickers. When she sits down, her jeans ride so low you can see the divide at the back. Pardon me, but you can.'

Vera nodded. ‘Evangeline-no-manners, either. We could always tell when she'd been round because we'd find chewing gum stuck to the tables and chairs. Left school hardly able to read and write. Parties all night but can't get up in the morning to save her life. Had a job in an off-licence for a while, pulls pints in a bar in the evenings now.'

‘Lives with her mother?'

‘She's got a room above the pub. Isn't that right, Pet?'

‘Think so. I expect she'll get one up the spout any day and go on the social for the rest of her life, popping them out regular.'

Ellie took a couple of seconds to interpret that. Pet meant the girl would get pregnant time after time in order to avoid work. ‘What about the lad Terry, who brought her the turkey? Where does he live? And his parents? Are they still alive and in contact?'

‘All gone now. Mother and father divorced. She went to live up north somewhere, Manchester way, something like that. Lost touch, anyhow. Father drank himself to death, popped off last June, thereabouts, didn't he, Pet? She made a fuss about going to the funeral, down in Sussex somewhere, near Brighton. She wasn't driving long distances then and Fritz was going to drive her, but she didn't trust him, used a minicab firm instead. Edwina and her daughter wanted to go as well, expected to be given a lift because neither of them drive, but Madam said she couldn't stand being bored for that long. Besides, she'd made it known she was thinking of going into a home, and they'd all started to ask her for more money by then even though she'd promised to go on looking after them.'

Pet sighed, eased her back. ‘Well, we ought to be getting on.'

Vera was still in full flow. ‘Mrs Pryce kept her head up, put her make-up on, false eyelashes and all, to the last. But she was right to go where she could be looked after, keep her dignity, like. She give me these earrings when she went. Bought them at a shop in the Broadway. Gave me the receipt and all, in case I wanted to exchange them.'

Pet agreed. ‘Gave me a necklace, too, with my lucky birth sign on it.'

Ellie looked, but Pet wasn't wearing the necklace that day.

Vera said, ‘We're going down to see her next month for her birthday, aren't we, Pet?'

Ellie said, ‘That's nice of you.'

Vera produced a twisted smile. ‘Well, we would have done anyway, but she did say that when the house was sold, she might give us a little something to make our lives easier. I want to take Mikey to the seaside for a holiday. He's never seen the sea.'

Pet got to her feet. ‘I dunno what's happening about the house. The “For Sale” board's gone. Perhaps she's changed her mind, taken it off the market.'

‘You've got her new address?'

‘Something Towers, Denham.' Vera scrabbled in her handbag and produced a dog-eared diary. ‘Corfton Towers. Fritz is going to drive us there and back. It's all arranged.' She stood up. ‘Well, this won't get the baby his bottle. You want us to turn out the big bedroom today, Mrs Quicke?'

‘Hang on a moment.' Ellie reached for a pad of shopping lists and tore off a sheet to write on. ‘Forget turning out today. Just do a top dust, clean the bathrooms, and then do the downstairs. Let me get this straight. There's Mrs Flavia Pryce, and her deceased husband. Then there's his brother, also deceased. What's the name of the brother's grandson with all the piercings?'

‘That's Terry.'

Ellie drew a family tree, which sprawled all over the page but would do. ‘There was a son and daughter by Mr Pryce's first marriage. The son – what's his name? – works as a school caretaker.'

‘That's Edgar. She sent him cheques for his birthday and Christmas which he did come round to thank her for. Tell the truth, I don't think he was as bad as his sister, never brought her his bills to pay that I know of.'

‘Right; so the daughter is Edwina, and she lives in that dark block of flats just before you get to the Common, the ones that you can't see for the trees planted close in front. Fritz the gardener lives above the Co-op supermarket in the Lane. Right? Do you happen to know where Terry lives?'

Vera shrugged. ‘Moved out to be with a “friend”, if you know what I mean. He was always short for the rent and asking for a sub. Same as Evangeline. She got herself engaged a couple months back, and what a how-de-do that was. The missus wasn't best pleased to be asked for a present when she hadn't even been invited to their engagement party.'

Pet agreed. ‘Didn't he break it off, soon after? Yes, because she come round weeping her eyes out, saying he'd gone off with the presents and that the ring he'd bought her was just glass. Just what you'd expect with her taste in men.'

‘Poor girl.' Vera sighed. ‘It must have been a shock, even if he did have an eye to the main chance. But at least she wasn't pregnant.'

‘She thought she was, remember? Screaming and shouting all over the place. Mrs Pryce give us a blow by blow run-down. She didn't have all that many visitors, see, and she liked an audience.'

‘It was a false alarm, and lucky for her that it was.' And Vera should know because Rose said her little Mikey was a right terror and no mistake.

‘Hang on a minute.' Ellie turned her piece of paper over and scribbled on the back. ‘Who was Mrs Pryce's solicitor?'

Vera shrugged. ‘No idea. She didn't hold with them, nor with doctors. Keep out of their clutches and you'll live longer, she said.'

‘She must have made a will.'

Pet said, ‘They were always on at her about it. Dunno as she ever did, though.'

‘Perhaps she will now,' said Vera, clearing away the coffee mugs.

‘Who drove her off to the retirement home? Fritz?'

‘He did offer, but she drove herself,' said Vera. ‘We was a bit worried about her doing that, but she wanted to take this and that with her, precious things, you know? She said it would be all right, if she took it slow.'

‘When did you see her last?'

‘Coupla days before she left. We offered to come in after the Cats Protection people took the pussies, and the auctioneers and house clearance people took the furniture. To clean up, leave everything tidy. First she said yes, she'd like that, and then she left a message at the office for us not to bother. I'm glad, really. It's sad to see a house that's been a home pulled apart like that.'

‘Vera, did you manage to get one of the cats for yourself?'

‘I did think about it, but no; being out all day working, and then Mikey might not have handled it too well, so, no; it wasn't fair. They went to a good home.'

‘Do you know which auction house she used? No?' Ellie took another sheet of paper off the pad. ‘What about the keys you had?'

‘Returned to the office.'

‘We really must get on,' said Pet, picking up a box of cleaning materials. ‘Shall I do your bathroom first?'

Ellie frowned at her jottings. She thought there were a lot more questions she ought to have asked but . . . another day, perhaps. She could hear Rose, weakly calling for her. First things first.

Rose was sitting in her chair, the television on but muted. Rose was crying.

Ellie was alarmed. ‘You're in pain? I'll get you something.'

‘No, no. Just a little throbbing, it will soon go, not to worry, I'm not made of paper, you know? But Ellie, we're such old friends and go back such a long way that – won't you sit down for a moment? There, always on the go, always thinking of other people, but as Miss Quicke said to me the other day, it's about time you took a little thought for yourself, so there's nothing for it, the time has come and I'm not complaining, I've had a good run for my money, haven't I? But all good things . . . You do understand, don't you?'

‘Not really, my dear. Tell me.'

‘You're far too soft-hearted to say it, so I'm saying it for you. It's time I went into a home.'

Ellie took one of Rose's frail, freckled hands in both of hers. ‘If you're tired of living with us and think you'd get better care somewhere else, you must say so and of course we'll arrange it. But Rose, we'd much rather look after you here.'

Silvery trails ran down Rose's cheeks. ‘It's no use, I'm losing the plot as they say. It was just little things at first, putting down onions instead of potatoes on the shopping list and forgetting to turn the oven on when I've put the pie in. I found the bread in the laundry basket the other day, and I've just realized I pulled up all those gladioli you planted, thinking they were montbretias, which are just like weeds and best be got rid of. There's no point saying I'm doing my job as a housekeeper when I haven't been able to manage the stairs for ever. And now I'm starting to see things.'

‘Dear Rose. I've been round to look at the Pryce house and I, too, thought someone was watching me when I was in their garden.'

‘I could see this face looking down at me, floating in mid-air. That's not right and you can't pretend that it is.'

‘Maybe there was someone there, hiding in the attic.'

Rose closed her eyes and let her head fall to one side. ‘It was all right when Mia was here to keep an eye on me. What a blessing that girl has been, picking up things after me, seeing to everything I forget, but it's only right and proper that she gets on with her own life now. I know you'd do your best to look after me, but it's too much to ask even of you, and unfair to Thomas, too. So I must go.'

SIX

E
llie said, ‘Now, Rose; you listen to me for a change. We've known one another for years and been through a lot together. You transformed my aunt's life for the good when you moved in with her, and you are part of our family now. What's more, you've had more to do with Mia's return to health than we have.

‘We don't want you to leave us. Yes, you've had a shock, falling off the ladder and hurting yourself, and it may take a while for you to recover. Of course, we mustn't stand in Mia's way. It's only right and proper that she should move on. So I'm thinking about finding someone to come in every day to be with you when I have to go out. You can tell them what to do about the house, and they'll do it. Just until you're back on top of things again.'

‘Suppose – suppose I don't ever get back to the way I used to be? Suppose I go on seeing things?'